If you were to ask 100 people whether they like having more money or less money, chances are the majority will answer, “More money please!” Having money means having more means to do and buy things which are enjoyable. Living hand to mouth isn’t as nice as being able to buy a few extras here and there.

Even if you’ve already got a day job, wouldn’t it be nice to make a little more money? And what if you could do it all from the palm of your hand? Well, thanks to modern technology and those handy little things called Smartphones, we totally can. Here are some of the ways that you can actually make money directly from your phone. [Read more…]

If you’re into mobile gadgets, and potentially games as well, then at some point you may have considered what it would take to create your own games. Does it require programming skill, or connections within the industry? Can you submit game ideas to companies or do people usually go it on their own?

But before you make it too far into those types of logistical questions, you need to search for the inspiration for the games themselves. You can’t create something without a core idea, so where might that idea come from? A few possibilities include collected game sites, best-selling books, revisions of classic games, putting gameplay into the idea of character development, or even just approaching gameplay from the idea of psychological simplicity. [Read more…]

The summer season is nigh upon us, a time of barbecues, road trips, music festivals, and lazy, lazy evenings. On the other hand, it can also be a time for ordering in pizza, chilling with your Netflix (see what I did there?), and spending all day playing games. Those sound like pretty good summer options, too. [Read more…]

The technology being used on kids’ toys these days can be quite surprising especially for a generation of parents whose most technologically advanced toys were Ataris and a Texas Instruments Speak and Spell. The toys being released today can even be considered tech demos of really cool electronics.

Take for example the Children’s DJ Station. This wonderful toy is a music slash DJ station for the on-the-go child. This wonderful toy is a sound effects mat that let children play with music and sounds – allowing them to mimic what DJs do. The mat can be used to make various sounds, even all at once. The mat has a multifunction keyboard that has up to two octaves of notes, which can be used to play eight different kinds of instruments. [Read more…]

ColorBuster is a fairly simple strategy puzzle game that will easily keep you occupied as you guide Hect0r, your robot, through 50 levels of box-pushing. Don’t let the “simple” tag fool you, though. Remember, games like Tetris and Bejeweled are simple.

Gameplay

The game takes place on a variety of grids in deep space.
Your task is to pack all the crates of the same color into one crate, and then move them to a teleport. At the same time, you push radioactive boxes off the edge of the grid. Sounds simple, but as with all good puzzle games, the levels get harder to solve. There’s often only one way to complete a level and one wrong move could leave a block stuck.

There are two gameplay modes and two ways of controlling Hect0r.
In “Classic” mode your robot and colored blocks are “safe” — in other words, they can’t fall off the edge of the grid. In “Arcade” mode it’s possible for objects to fall off the grid. Hect0r can be controlled via four on-screen arrows (up and down on the left-hand side of the screen, and left and right in the bottom right-hand corner) or by swiping a finger in the direction you wish him to travel.

Sight, Sound and Feel

The graphics are pretty good and are perfectly acceptable for the gameplay. Granted, they’re not the most spectacular ever, but they clearly show all the vital components (ro-bot, blocks, hazards, grid, teleport). There’s a definite 8-bit / retro feel to the whole thing.
The audio, too, is pretty decent, with some interesting original music to keep you enter-tained through the levels.

It took me a little while to get used to the two control methods, but that’s often the case with any new iPhone application given that every developer has to find a new way of im-plementing controls on the touchscreen.

I wasn’t madly keen on having the virtual arrow buttons in different places on the screen. Personally I’d have preferred them closer together, perhaps as an inverted T as you’d find on a computer keyboard, in one corner. However, I know it would become second nature soon enough. Similarly, the swiping motions sometimes had me falling off the grid (in arcade mode), but I got better with practice.
One thing I really wasn’t keen on was the shading on the text. Perhaps I should’ve had my iPhone’s brightness turned up higher, but I found it a little difficult to read at times. No biggie, though, as there’s not much text except on the options and high score screens.

Overall

For $1.99 (and currently half price at 99c) it won’t break the bank to purchase ColorBuster, and you’ll certainly get plenty of gameplay from it. Don’t be fooled that the first few levels are quite easy, as the challenge soon ramps up.

If you like puzzle games that require you to think strategically and you’re not after some-thing fast and furious, it’s definitely worth a look.

The Internet is great for many things – apart from helping you get your work done more efficiently and be more productive in your life in general, it can also be very useful for relaxing and spending some time off when you feel the stress has built up too much. And if you know where to look, your relaxation time in the Internet can be a very pleasant one!

One of the best ways to kill some quick time on your computer is to play a few rounds of your favorite game – and with the help of the Internet, you can find many free Flash games of great quality! Just make sure you apply some self-control to the whole ordeal – some of those games have been made to be anything but boring, and they can easily get you addicted and coming back for yet another round even when you should be working. We’re all familiar with the feeling, sadly.

Of course, it can be cool to catch up with the latest trends in the geek world as well, in case you’re interested in that scene – reading the proper geek blog can be a good way to get the latest news in that field, and it can be quite the interesting read as well – certainly something which can work great to take the time and stress of and help you relax for a few minutes! Plus, it can be useful for getting the latest bits of information in the IT field too.

Tetris would probably be the one game that got most of us addicted to gaming. Count me as one of the people who spent hours playing Tetris, cursing silently under my breath as I painfully waited for that one brick that can get rid of the five lines I’ve already accumulated. Since this game is one of the most iconic games of all time, it’s no surprise that there are imitators abound.

But thanks to The Tetris Company, LLC (the company that apparently holds the rights to the game) 35 clones of the game have been pulled out of the Android Market. Okay, I understand that they are just trying to protect their copyright. I don’t blame them. But if you read the reaction of one app developer, there’s more to it:

Google promptly answered that The Tetris Company, LLC notified them under DMCA to remove various Tetris clones from Android Market. My app was removed together with other 35 Tetris clones.

So, I checked online on various sources, and all of them say that there’s no copyright on gameplay. There could be some sort of patent. But besides not having a patent, which would last 20 years, so it would be over on 2005.

It’s a shame that The Tetris Company, LLC uses its power to stop developers from creating good and free games for Android users. Without resources for a legal fight, our application and many others will cease to exist, even knowing that they are legit. Users will be forced to buy the paid official version, which is worse than many of the one available for free on the market.

I really don’t know why The Tetris Company decided to act just now, but it’s a shame that app developers consider the official Tetris App to be inferior to the clones. What do you think?

I’ve never really been a fan of the Mickey Mouse and friends aspect of Disney. I find it too childish and all, but they’re, well, inescapable.

Over at artist Fred Gambino’s website there is a section called ‘Epic Mickey’. It contains Mickey Mouse art reimagined in a steampunk setting. It is rumored to be concept art for a new interactive game from Disney.

Epic Mickey (most probably a code name) is rumored to be developed for the Wii. There’s very little news about it now, but I am so loving the steampunk reimagining. It is something Disney needs to appeal to the hardcore gamer crowd.

They say that Hollywood is the place where rumors are born and thrive. They say that there are no secrets in Hollywood. But if you were to ask me, I would go as far as to say that in the world of consumer technology, rumors are just as rife. Rumors about games, phones, gaming consoles – practically everything that’s hot – are born every day and spread through the Internet like wild fire.

Take for example the latest dish on the two arch rivals – the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox360. These two gaming consoles have been the focus of countless rumors ever since their inception. This time, the word on the street is that Sony is phasing out the 80G model and focus production on the 160G model. This happened with the earlier models (like my beloved 60G PS3 which has a fried motherboard by the way). But that’s not the only thing. Christen dela Costa at Gadget Review thinks that a slimmer PS3 is on the way – and this from a “reliable” source. I wouldn’t mind a sleeker PS3 – it is time for me to get a new one anyway!

Now for the Xbox360 – the news is that by July or August, the Pro model is going to be phased out. The reason for this is that Microsoft is coming with some new bundles later this year. They are also bunking on some game exclusives to attract more gamers.

Again, mere mortals like us can only sit and wait to see what will actually happen.

Looking to give consumers the most flexibility with their purchases of the Windows PC version of Sacred 2: Fallen Angel, cdv Software Entertainment USA and Ascaron Entertainment are pleased to announce the inclusion of an innovative “Try Before You Buy” system for their upcoming RPG game.

Using this innovative new feature, downloaded or purchased copies of the full game can be shared with friends and family, with these shared copies acting as full-featured demos for the duration of one calendar day. During the demo period the game is completely unlocked for single-player and LAN multiplayer modes.

After the demo install expires the consumer has the option of purchasing the full game online, or simply uninstalling it. This, for example, allows consumers who purchased the full game in stores or via digital distribution channels, to share their game with friends, with those subsequent installs acting as time-limited “try before you buy” versions that allow gamers to enjoy almost all features found in the full game.

Sacred 2: Fallen Angel is an Action-RPG with a rich story that takes place in a giant, open-ended and seamless world. This world contains hundreds of dungeons, treacherous opponents and a variety of challenging quests. Intelligent enemies, steadily adapting in number and difficulty based on player progress, challenge players in heroic single- and multiplayer battles.

Sacred 2: Fallen Angel provides numerous unique items that can be gathered in this mystical world. A deep reward system further enables advancements in character, individual attributes and character-specific fighting styles, each designed to keep players returning to the world of Sacred 2: Fallen Angel to discover what is around the next bend.

Drop-in styled cooperative multiplayer gameplay ensures players will enjoy the game alone or seamlessly with friends at any time. Five unique multiplayer modes round out the experience and offer a refreshing, first-class gaming experience in Sacred 2: Fallen Angel.